A clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State as left an unidentified man seriously injured.
Although, the cause of the fight is yet to be ascertained, the APC claims the clash broke out after the National Vice-President, External, National Association of Nigerian Students, Tosin Ogunkuade was arrested by the state police for speaking during its presidential campaign.
A statement by the APC state Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said Ogunkuade’s offence was that the student leader highlighted the challenges facing the Nigerian students, saying the present government was not capable of addressing the hardships being faced by the students in accessing quality education.
However, the state Governor in his defence said the people arrested were thugs of the APC who wanted to cause trouble in the state.
A statement by the governor’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, announced that four APC thugs had been arrested by the police.
“The thugs were arrested with guns, axes, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons while trying to escape through Efon-Alaaye at about 3am today.
“The thugs were Odebunmi Idowu (from Ilupeju-Ekiti), Aliyu Yusuf (from Ibadan), Oladayo Obikoya (from Ikogosi) and Ogunkuade Oluwatosin (a.k.a Jasper).
“They were arrested in a red-coloured Nissan Sunny with registration number Ekiti AH 176 EFY, and were moved to the Aramoko-Ekiti Police Station, where they were detained briefly before they were moved to the Police Headquarters, Ado-Ekiti,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Olatunbosun who penned APC’s statement said thugs trailed Ogunkuade to Ikogosi-Ekiti just 24 hours after he spoke, “where he and other students were seriously injured after they were attacked with machet and other dangerous weapons.
“After these students were attacked at Ikogosi, they ran to Efon-Alaye Police Station to report the matter. To our surprise, the police detained them before they were transferred to Aramoko-Ekiti Police Station.
“To our shock again, just this morning, one of their colleagues, Damilare Bewaji, who went to visit them at the Aramoko Police Station, was also arrested and detained by the police on the order of the governor,” he added.